Could the horse be somehow rolling or laying and get it under the blanket when she’s getting up?
Or scratching his butt on poop filled ledge or fence post.
[QUOTE=Chall;7503535]
Or scratching his butt on poop filled ledge or fence post.[/QUOTE]
No to this and other suggestion above due to the place (on the top of the butt) and the fact that it was not smeared.
Didn’t take a photo because I didn’t start thinking how strange it was until I got home, I was more focused on getting her tacked up and riding her.
I think rats make the most sense, crawling up her blanket when she’s lying on her belly. Haven’t seen any but I’m sure they’re around. She’s pretty messy around the hind end, I really need to give her a bath but am waiting til we get some warm weather, maybe that’s what attracted them. A rat wouldn’t worry about getting crushed. I would think under a blanket would be a dangerous place for a kitten if the horse shifted and the blanket smushed down.
Are there rafters above her stall? If so, Have you looked up there with a flashlight when it’s dark outside? Maybe bats?
How about a pix of the poop? That would help lots.
[QUOTE=rmh_rider;7507819]
How about a pix of the poop? That would help lots.[/QUOTE]
It hasn’t happened since then so I have no pix.
Re bats, populations have been decimated in this area–you hardly see bats these days–and this time of year they are still in hibernation.
It’s probably from inside the blanket - each time the blanket shifts, rat droppings come out.
My parent’s farm had rats for a while, I remember one time swinging a rainsheet over my gelding’s back and watching a surprised rat go flinging out.
They’ll get in anything, and generally poop wherever they go.
Rats poop everywhere, even in their food, but their droppings are pretty easy to recognize - like v. large fattish mouse-poo. Yuck - I hate those things.
This is absolutely creepy, but I can’t wait to hear how it ends!
